Don Harman Suicide

Don Harman, the longtime morning meteorologist at WDAF in Kansas City, died yesterday. He was 41.

Sources say Harman’s death was a suicide, although the station has not yet announced an official cause of death. The 12-year veteran of the station was on the air as recently as yesterday.

Before WDAF’s Karli Ritter delivered the weather report on this morning’s newscast, anchors Mark Alford and Loren Halifax read a statement similar to what the station posted on Facebook early this morning.

“We know many of you have questions,” the statement reads. “We appreciate your concern, and we consider you our friends. But please remember that family comes first. We’re honoring that right now, and we ask that you join us in that. Please bear with us for a little while longer.”

NewsBlues reports that WDAF is holding back an official announcement on Harman’s death until his father is contacted.

There has been an outpouring of well-wishes from Kansas City viewers on Facebook and Twitter, but on-air talent has so far avoided a direct mention of Harman’s death online.

“Fox 4 lost a great member of our family today,” reporter Eric Burkewrote on Twitter, directing followers to the statement on WDAF’s Facebook page.

Harman has been the morning meteorologist since he joined the station. He began his career in television at WTAP in Parkersburg, WV, working at KIMT in Mason City and WOWK in Huntington before settling at WDAF in 1999.